I am participating in the St Martin’s Press boycott. I will not publicly be reviewing this title until St. Martin’s Press addresses reader concerns.

Till There Was You is a super cute heartfelt romantic comedy about a chef and a famous singer that had me flipping pages faster than Lexi flipped her blueberry pancakes.

When Lexi meets Jake, he’s a singer in a dive bar but that quickly changes after their weekend together — an overnight sensation, Jake’s star is on the rise while Lexi complete’s chef school and starts the grind in the kitchen of Olive & Pomegranate.

After almost a year apart, Jake shows back up in Lexi’s life and together they have to navigate his newfound fame and the realities of the demanding nature of her job.

I really felt there was a lot of heart in the story. The romance was cute and I loved the banter. But, it was Lexi’s family situation and her inability to truly move past a loss in her life that really made the story shine for me. I enjoyed the cast of characters and really did like Lexi and Jake together. The various real life celebrities were at times jarring, but it truly was a cute read!

Thank you SMP Romance for the chance to read early!

I’m so incredibly disappointed. I’ve never read of more outrageously naive and selfish characters than what I’ve encountered with this book.

Also, these tropes are so tired. I feel like this book was really unnecessary for an overestimated market. If you’re going to write a celebrity romance, it needs to be fresh and interesting and this was not that.

Thanks, I guess, to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

The story of Lexi a chef and Jake the singer. They both spend a weekend together. After that weekend Jake ends up ghosting Lexi. Jake moves on to become a famous singer. Queue in second chance romance. Lexi and Jake reconnect about a year later. They rekindle their friendship which quickly escalated into a romance. Even after such a great reconnection can Lexi ultimately forgive Jake for ghosting her after that first weekend they spent together?
Overall I really enjoyed this cute romcom. I loved the connection between the characters. There were so many times I caught myself smiling and laughing. This was my first read by this author and I would consider reading another book by Lindsay Hameroff. I love the book cover also!

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the eARC.

Perfect combination of Wattpad fanfiction and Hallmark Channel romances. Anyone who has ever had a fantasy of a rockstar falling in love with and writing songs about them will adore Till There Was You. There's not too much contrived drama or conflict. Jack and Lexi always feel real and grounded even as the world around them is a fantasy romcom. I laughed so hard reading Till There Was You. It's an absolute delight.

I really enjoyed Lexi and Jake and their story. Sometimes you just need a fun and fluffy read and this was just that.

I was truly anticipating this debut from Lindsay, and there was so much I enjoyed. The writing made me want to keep reading as it was fast paced and very enjoyable. I love books that start with a one night stand and this had a second chance element that made me root very hard for Lexi and Jake. The little time jump surprised me but it was logical taking into account Jake’s unexpected stardom. I also loved reading about Lexi’s experiences working as a chef. I love cooking but I don’t think I could ever handle the stress of working at a restaurant!

I enjoyed the romance at first, but in the second half I started feeling a bit disconnected. Sometimes I felt like both Lexi and Jake were a bit immature, and their relationship dragged to the inevitable breakup for too many chapters. I couldn’t see a way for it to work out and neither did Lexi, so that negativity got to me at some point. I liked the way it was written, but I couldn’t shake the “this isn’t gonna work” feeling.

TW: Death of a parent (cancer, past)

Rating: 3.5/5
Steam level: Open door, 3-4 scenes, medium level of detail

ARC provided by St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley. Opinions are my own!

3.5 stars!
This book has an interesting take on romance, being second chance romance with the celebrity trope. I found the combination of a chef and overnight celebrity unusual and quite brilliant. Honestly speaking, I love how this book didn't make it look like all fun and games, clearly depicting the brutality of a chef's work life.

What I liked-
Authenticity
Intensity of the low moments
Relatable internal conflict
Initial chemistry and banter

What I didn't like-
Uneven pacing
Insta love
Unexplained gap in storyline
Awkwardly sitting plot
Lexi's blind trust in Jake

I genuinely feel like this book was too planned and plotted, leaving no space to go with the flow. I mean come on, no one is so naive and trusting in real life. The book felt like a maze of tropes and plot points just connected to form a story. To be clear, this is so much more a plot-driven story than character-driven. Yes, we get that a lot of times we don't have any control over our circumstances, but I'm sorry this one felt a lot like the MCs were just puppets, particularly Lexi. This is not to say that Hameroff isn't a good author and I look forward to reading her future novels.

Very insta-love at first sight.

Lexi is a highly ambitious culinary student who has no room for romance. When she meets Jack , an unknown musician on the NY scene, sparks seems to fly. A magically weekend together - soulmates? But when Jake leaves for LA to pursue his music career, Lexi never hears from him again until he is everywhere- radio, billboards, ads, ect.

The execution of this story was good however it was a tad repetitive. It’s a storyline that has been done before so easy to predict.

One thing that Hameroff introduces is how both characters don’t really have strong relationships with their dads. At the end, Lexi communicates with her dad but Jake’s relationship isn’t really address. Plot wise I think there were a lot of characters and scenes that just felt added because this is how a typical rockstar and norm relationship are suppose to go. Did not endear me to them.

The insecurity is understandable but the big fight fell flat to me and the big gesture seems sorta cope out. Insta forgive too.

It’s a decent story. I liked the beginning when they were in their own little world at her apartment.

Thank you for this earc for an honest review!

I loved Lexi and Jake's story. It was such a fun read. Honestly, no notes. It was heart-warming and exactly like type of read I love.

A whirlwind second chance romance between and sous chef and a musician that doesn't shy away from all the difficulties and complications that come with a celebrity romance. Warm, sexy, and heartfelt, this book will have you kicking your feet and giggling.

Lexi & Jake are meant to be, but the obstacles in their way to happiness are pretty massive. It all stars with a perfect weekend together that inspires his hit songs & new album. After a year of radio silence, one accidental Instagram like leads to a second chance at this whirlwind romance.

I enjoyed how the characters developed both separately and together, but I think that the author could have focused on one or two fewer pitfalls in their HEA. Was Madison necessary? It seemed like Vinny was holding down the role of antagonist. And what was the purpose of the father/son conflict? It didn't seem like a must have mirror to Lexi's father/daughter conflict. I liked the restaurant job arc, but it felt like the author was also using it to make a point about misogyny in the professional kitchen that didn't seem to have a purpose in the novel.

Overall, a much more enjoyable read than I was anticipating from reading the blurb.

Absolutely devoured this! My favorite tropes, easy to read and loved connection with the characters.

Oh my goodness Lexi and Jake are so cute! This was a really fun and steamy read - my only qualms with this story is it felt a bit too insta love to me with not as much depth as I would've liked. However, if you're looking for a quick and fun read definitely pick this one up.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

I enjoyed this book. Such a cute and fun romcom. All of the characters are great and it kept me interested in the book. I couldn’t put it down.

Fun and cute, love this rom con , so cute, characters were relatable and the book keep me inyeres Thru the whole story.

A fun romance with many obstacles. I skipped the intimate details and would have preferred the "f" word not be included, but enjoyed the couple and their stories. I was eager to see how they were finally going to get to their happily ever after. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

Great read. I really enjoyed my time with the characters. If you are not a fan of instant love then you may not enjoy this one, but I sure did.

Thank you NetGalley + St. Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was deliciously adorable and had all the components I love in a rom com. Passionate, likeable main characters you want to root for, flirty banter, a bit of steam, I was all for it.

Insta love and second chance romance are two tropes I don't read enough of but really enjoy, and this book was a great example of how to execute it well. I also loved the fact that the main characters were chasing dreams but still struggling with the idea of feeling lost in their lives. It's so relatable and I think we've all been there, making me even more invested in their happiness and fulfillment.

Overall a very enjoyable read that I would definitely recommend!

I loved this book so much! The culinary aspect of it was amazing. The romance was so sweet. And the setting was perfect.